Fractional CFO
An ongoing seat at your leadership table, a few days a month.
- Monthly management reporting & KPIs
- Budgets, rolling forecasts & scenarios
- Board and investor reporting
- A sounding board for the big calls
Fractional CFO · Melbourne
The CFO your business needs, at the desk beside yours.
Senior, hands-on finance leadership for growing Australian SMEs. Cash flow you can plan around, numbers your board and bank trust, and a clear path to the next stage of growth, without the cost of a full-time CFO.
30+ years as CFO & Company Secretary
FCPA · GAICD
MBA, London Business School
13-week cash flowEXAMPLE · $’000
| Line | Wk 1–4 | Wk 5–8 | Wk 9–13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening cash | 412 | 356 | 371 |
| Customer receipts | 1,184 | 1,262 | 1,605 |
| Payroll & super | (688) | (702) | (894) |
| Suppliers & GST | (552) | (545) | (690) |
| Closing cash | 356 | 371 | 392 |
Weekly closing cashFloor $300k
Is it time?
Signs your business has outgrown its bookkeeper
Most growing businesses reach a point where compliance-level accounting is no longer enough, but a full-time CFO is still a step too far. That gap is where a fractional CFO earns their keep.
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Revenue is growing, yet cash always feels tight and you can’t say why.
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You’re preparing to raise capital, refinance or talk to a buyer.
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Your board or investors want better reporting than you can produce.
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You’re making pricing, hiring or expansion calls without a reliable forecast.
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Month-end takes weeks, and the numbers arrive too late to act on.
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An acquisition, merger or restructure is on the table and you need a steady hand.
Services
Strategic finance support, scaled to where you are
Engage the full CFO role on a part-time basis, or bring Leigh in for a defined piece of work. Either way you get a senior adviser who rolls up their sleeves.
Cash flow & working capital
See problems weeks ahead and free up cash already in the business.
- 13-week cash flow forecasting
- Debtor, inventory & supplier terms
- Banking and funding facilities
Capital raising & investor readiness
Prepare for equity, debt or private equity with numbers that hold up to diligence.
- Financial models & information memoranda
- Data rooms and due diligence
- Investor and lender negotiations
M&A and integration
Support across the full transaction lifecycle, from target review to post-merger integration.
- Valuation and deal structuring
- Buy-side and sell-side diligence
- Integrating entities, systems & teams
Board & governance
Company Secretary experience to bring structure as your board matures.
- Board packs and committee papers
- Risk, policy and delegations frameworks
- Company Secretary support
Finance function & systems
A finance team and tech stack that scale with you rather than hold you back.
- Xero, MYOB & reporting tool set-up
- Faster, cleaner month-end close
- Coaching your finance team
How it works
From first conversation to finance you can rely on
Every engagement follows the same path, so you know what you’re getting and when.
Weeks 1–2
Diagnose
A close look at your numbers, systems, cash position and goals. You get a short written assessment of where the risks and opportunities sit.
Weeks 3–6
Build
Put the foundations in place: a reliable forecast, a reporting pack that tells the story, and quick wins on cash and margin.
Ongoing
Lead
Regular time on-site or online, monthly board and leadership reporting, and senior support whenever a big decision comes up.
Monthly retainerA set number of days each month as your part-time CFO.
ProjectA fixed scope, such as a capital raise, forecast model or system change.
InterimFull-time cover during a CFO vacancy, leave or transition.
About
Leigh Davis, FCPA GAICD
Three decades as a CFO and Company Secretary, across ASX-listed, private equity-backed and high-growth private companies.
Leigh has led businesses through IPOs, private equity raises, mergers and rapid scale-ups in energy, telecommunications and technology. Second Desk Advisory brings that experience to growing SMEs that need senior finance leadership without the full-time cost.
A career that began in healthcare finance has left Leigh with a strong sense of purpose and a particular affinity for mission-driven organisations.
FCPAGAICDMBA · LBS
Selected experience
- IPO
- Led a company through its ASX listing, including multi-jurisdictional reporting.
- PE raise
- Co-led a ~$50M private equity investment into a high-growth business.
- Growth
- Finance lead through 8× revenue growth and a five-entity merger integration.
- M&A
- Transactions across the full lifecycle, from target review to integration.
- Sectors
- Energy, telecommunications, technology and healthcare.
Questions
Common questions
If yours isn’t here, ask. A first conversation is free and carries no obligation.
What is a fractional CFO?
An experienced CFO who works with your business part-time, typically a few days a month. You get the same strategic input as a full-time hire, at a fraction of the salary and on-costs.
How is this different from my accountant?
Your external accountant looks after tax and compliance, mostly looking backwards. A fractional CFO looks forward: cash flow, forecasting, funding, pricing, and the decisions that shape growth. The two roles work well together.
What size of business do you work with?
Typically privately owned SMEs with revenue of roughly $5M to $100M that are growing, raising capital, or preparing for a transaction.
Do you work on-site?
Yes. Leigh is based in Melbourne and works with clients on-site, online, or a mix of both. Clients outside Victoria are supported remotely with visits as needed.
How are fees structured?
Usually a fixed monthly fee for an agreed number of days, or a fixed price for a defined project. You’ll know the cost before any work begins.
Get in touch
Let’s talk about where your business is heading.
Send a short note about your business and what’s on your mind. Leigh will reply within one business day to arrange a 30-minute conversation.
Email
Location
Melbourne, Victoria · Working with SMEs across Australia